The Summer of Love was a unique time in American history. This social phenomenon took place during 1967 and it happened all over the country. However, the city of San Francisco was ground zero for this particular social event. The neighborhood of Haight – Ashbury was the main area inside of San Francisco where hippies met.

Other nations such as Canada and those inside of Europe also participated within this event. The Summer of Love is considered one of the most important social gatherings that people used to express their desire for change and to make the world a better place.

In May of 2017, a Summer of Love anniversary gathering happened in San Francisco. Various universities, social organizations and businesses participated within this event. Lectures and examination of the culture at the time will were discussed during lecturers. Many of the event lecturers and hosts wanted people in attendance to understand why this movement was extremely important. Especially, since it emerged during the turbulent era of the 60s.

One of the main reasons why the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love was so important, has to do with its comparison of counter culture movements of today and in the past. The 60s were troubling because of the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and growing pessimism in the world.

People were fed up with government, the police, racial tension, the Cold War and many other events that seemed to be dooming life for people within that generation. Even though the events are not the same; the growing American division and strife is very similar.

The Summer of Love emerged as a hippie movement in response to everything that was perceived as going wrong in the world. There was plenty of music, dancing, hopeful speeches and lots of love. Northwestern University was a key sponsor of this event in San Francisco. This educational institution has many alumni and a few faculty members that had participated in the original event that had taken place many years ago. More information about the Summer of Love 50th Anniversary is available on the Northwestern University website.